Rereading this thread and we also have an answer to another question. Daniel J. Watts is in until Nov. 22 for Thayne Jasperson. I have only had the chance to see him on stage as a character in Whorl Inside a Loop after previously seeing him speak at TEDxBroadway. I'm sure he's fantastic.
Saw the matinee this afternoon. Rannells looks great. Same physicality and inflections as the other 2 Georges. His accent went in and out during What Comes Next but he'll correct that. He's not as epic a spitter as Groff which is nice if you're sitting near the front. So glad to see him in this role - love that goofy twinkle in his eye that I first saw in Mormon. The show is better than ever. Perfection.
Forgive me, Jonathan Groff, but I just came from the show and I liked Andrew Rannells even better.
He combines the lightness of Groff with the edginess of D'Arcy James--and when his voice soars on the "Oceans rise, nations fall" lyric, it is very exciting.
Seen them both, liked them both equally. Groff was a bit more subtle, but Rannells was really delightful. His voice sounds tremendous, and some of his own flair was absolutely added. He's really great. He also took a lot of time at the stage door and really talked to everyone. Very classy.
Rannells' accent made me laugh in the same way it did in Hedwig. In and out and of varying degrees of accuracy. But I really enjoyed him -- he's a lot more pouty and petulant than Groff, who I think produced more spontaneous laughter, but maybe that's because I didn't know what to expect with Groff, and it was the first week of previews, so more of the audience was new to the material.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
FindingNamo said: "Broadwayworld: Where accents really matter!
HA! I was thinking the same thing. Accents in shows are like giant targets on the head of a production. It's impossible not to get criticism for them, regardless of execution. And it's so boring.
I saw the matinee today, which is the third time I've seen "Hamilton" - once at the Public, and once after the Broadway opening. Before I hadn't noticed King George staying downstage after his final number or acting among the ensemble. Is this new? Perhaps I was taking in something on another part of the stage. It was too easy for Rannells to vamp the part by sticking out his tongue petulantly to accent George's brattiness. I preferred Groff Sauce's simmering subtlety. It was almost as if Rannells has taken bits created by others and is trying to make them his own with these flourishes. No need. He had us at "You say,"
I saw Rannells last weekend, and I thought he overdid it a bit. I've only heard Groff on the cast recording, but I prefer his somewhat subtler take on the character. Rannells also sings that "da da da da" lyrics with a very nasal sneer in his voice, so that they come out closer to "nyeah nyeah nyeah," which I found tiresome. It's not a bad performance at all, but I'll bet I would have enjoyed Groff more.
UptownScribe said: "Before I hadn't noticed King George staying downstage after his final number or acting among the ensemble. Is this new? Perhaps I was taking in something on another part of the stage."
I saw the show at the end of Sept and definitely remember Groff having a seat there (it was in front of me) and engaging with Burr during Adams Administration. It wasn't distracting, but helped with the bit during Reynolds Pamphlet when George joins in.